scholarly journals A transboundary aquifer of potential concern in Southern Africa

Water Policy ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1160-1171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Modreck Gomo ◽  
Danie Vermeulen

Abstract Tuli Karoo transboundary aquifer (TBA) is shared between Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The TBA provides groundwater resources for various economic activities. Irrespective of the value offered by this TBA, there is very little research that has been conducted to improve understanding of the physical system and potential cross-border impacts that can result from exploitation of the aquifer. In the wake of this limited research, this paper uses theoretical background and conceptual understanding to highlight some of the activities that have the potential to cause conflicts within the TBA. This article presents and discusses the current hydrogeological conceptual understanding of the Tuli Karoo TBA system, social and economic activities and their potential impacts on the TBA. Based on the discussions of various scenarios, it can be argued that the potential for groundwater cross-border flow and impacts exist within the TBA. With the ever-increasing and competing demands for fresh water and unpredictable rainfall patterns in the region, the possibility of future conflicts cannot be ruled out. It is hoped that this study can assist in raising awareness about the need to address aspects of sustainable exploitation and management of the TBA.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloé Meyer

This report presents the activities and results of the assessment activities of the Stampriet Transboundary Aquifer System (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa) undertaken during the Phase 1 (2013-2015) of the GGRETA project. Governance Groundwater Transboundary


1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Guiguer ◽  
T. Franz

In the last few years, groundwater management has concentrated on the protection of groundwater quality. An increasing number of countries has adopted policies to protect vital groundwater resources from deterioration by regulating human interaction with the subsurface, the use of potential contaminants, land use restrictions, and waste transport and storage. One of the more common regulatory approaches to the protection of groundwater focuses on public water supplies to reduce the potential of human exposure to hazardous contaminants. Under the framework of the Safe Drinking Water Act amended by U.S. Congress in 1986, The U.S.EPA (1987) issued guidelines for the delineation of wellhead protection areas, recommending the use of analytical and numerical models for the identification of such areas. In this study, the theoretical background for the development of one such numerical model is presented. Two real-world applications are discussed: in the first case history, the model is applied to a Superfund Site in Puerto Rico as a tool for assessment of the effectiveness of a proposed pump-and-treat scheme for aquifer remediation. Based on simulation results for the evolution of the existing contaminant plume it was verified that such a scheme would not work with the proposed purging wells. The second case history is the delineation of a wellhead protection area in the Town of Littleton, Massachusetts, and subsequent design of a monitoring well network.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-82
Author(s):  
Enna Sukutai Gudhlanga

The advent of colonialism relegated the traditional African woman to the fringes of the family and society through codified customary law. The Shona women of Zimbabwe were some of the worst affected as they were re-defined as housewives who had to rely on their husbands for the up-keep of the family. However, in as much as globalisation has been accused of having brought some crisis on the African continent and side-lined a significant number of indigenous players, for the African woman in the global south it has brought some form of re-awakening. Globalisation seems to have re-opened the avenues for Shona women and enabled them to re-negotiate their entry back into the economic activities of the family and the public sphere. Despite the general lack of interest in the activities of women and in the strategies used by the poor for survival, it is a known fact that Shona women have become a force to reckon with in terms of cross-border trading in Zimbabwe. This research was prompted by the general hub of activity at the country's borders before the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic and the predominance of women traders who traverse the borders but whose activities have either not attracted enough attention to get their work recognised, or simply because they are taken for granted. Despite such strides, women in the cross-border trading business have instead garnered a certain stigma around them to the extent that the magnitude of their work is largely unrecognised. Yet elsewhere, the significance of women in informal trade is well documented. This study argues that women have not been left out in the global arena of trade. Desai (2009) acknowledges that the global economic openings in the informal sector have afforded women the opportunity to become active players in the markets of the global South. It is the aim of this research to investigate how globalisation has influenced the nature of the activities of Shona women in the cross-border trading business in Zimbabwe and their impact on the social well-being of the family and the nation’s economy at large. The research is largely qualitative in nature. Purposively selected Shona female cross-border traders at the Gulf Complex and Copacabana Market in Harare were interviewed before the COVID pandemic. The study revealed that the transnational activities of these Zimbabwean women are more wide-spread than has been anticipated. The study also revealed that women are unrecognised pillars in the economy of Zimbabwe as reflected in their success stories that have benefited Zimbabwe as a country. The study was informed by Africana Womanist theory which is embedded in African culture with special leaning on Ubuntu/ Unhu philosophy which recognises the complementary roles and partnerships of both men and women in resolving society's challenges.


Author(s):  
Khumbulani W. Hlongwana ◽  
Joyce Tsoka-Gwegweni

Background: Global decline in malaria episodes over the past decade gave rise to a debate to target malaria elimination in eligible countries. However, investigation regarding researchers’ perspectives on barriers and facilitating factors to effective implementation of a malaria elimination policy in South Africa (SA) is lacking.Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the malaria researchers’ knowledge, understandings, perceived roles, and their perspectives on the factors influencing implementation of a malaria elimination policy in SA.Setting: Participants were drawn from the researchers who fulfilled the eligibility criteria as per the protocol, and the criteria were not setting-specific.Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted through an emailed self-administered semi-structured questionnaire amongst malaria researchers who met the set selection criteria and signed informed consent.Results: Most (92.3%) participants knew about SA’s malaria elimination policy, but only 45.8% had fully read it. The majority held a strong view that SA’s 2018 elimination target was not realistic, citing that the policy had neither been properly adapted to the country’s operational setting nor sufficiently disseminated to all relevant healthcare workers. Key concerns raised were lack of new tools, resources, and capacity to fight malaria; poor cross-border collaborations; overreliance on partners to implement; poor community involvement; and poor surveillance.Conclusion: Malaria elimination is a noble idea, with sharp divisions. However, there is a general agreement that elimination requires: (a) strong cross-border initiatives; (b) deployment of adequate resources; (c) sustainable multistakeholder support and collaboration; (d) good surveillance systems; and (e) availability and use of all effective intervention tools.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-34
Author(s):  
Jan Hendrik Havenga ◽  
J. van Eeden ◽  
Wessel Pienaar

The Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA) in South Africa aims to encourage and facilitate trade between South Africa and its neighbouring countries. The CBRTA sponsored a study by Stellenbosch University (SU) to determine the logistics cost impact of cross-border delays between South Africa and its major neighbouring trading partners, and prioritise opportunities for improvement. SU is the proprietor of both a comprehensive freight demand model and a logistics cost model for South Africa, which enable extractions and extensions of freight flows and related costs for specific purposes. Through the application of these models, the following information is identified and presented in this paper: South Africa’s most important border posts (based on traffic flows); a product profile for imports and exports through these border posts; the modal split (road and rail); the annual logistics costs incurred on the corridors feeding the border posts, as well as the additional costs incurred due to border delays. The research has proved that the streamlining of border-post operations that take a total supply chain view (i.e. of both border operations and those that could be moved from the border) is beneficial.


Mean Streets ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 207-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Peberdy ◽  
Jonathan Crush ◽  
Daniel Tevera ◽  
Eugene Campbell ◽  
Nomsa Zindela ◽  
...  

1986 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-100
Author(s):  
J. J. Van Zyl

Strategic marketing management of some suppliers to the Agricultural sector in the Republic of South Africa The Republic of South Africa is at present in a state of change within the economical, political, social, institutional, physical and international environments. Change in these fields is still in an early phase and rapid changes can be expected in future. From a management point of view, these changes are a fact and must be considered and taken into account in the decision-making process. Modern enterprise in the free-market system functions within the framework of the changing environment and the ability to grow and develop are dependent on the ability of the individual firm to adapt to these changes. The aim of the research was to determine how marketing management of some suppliers of capital equipment to the agricultural sector apply strategic marketing principles and practices, to enable their firms to adapt to constant external changes. Apart from a theoretical background some empirical research was undertaken to determine the composition of the management and marketing strategies. The emphasis is, however, on the formulation of the marketing strategy and the implementation of the marketing strategy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
_ _

Abstract Using a case study of recently arrived Cantonese-speaking migrants, this article examines the role of guanxi in shaping Chinese newcomers’ economic activities and opportunities in South Africa. In Johannesburg, Cantonese-speaking migrants tend to be employed in restaurant and fahfee (gambling) sectors, which are partially inherited from the early generations of South African Chinese. Through narratives and stories, this article reveals that Cantonese newcomers often strengthen personal and employment relationships through the practice of guanxi, but that doing so can also constrain their employment decisions. Moreover, the ambiguous boundary between the act of bribery and the practice of guanxi may facilitate Chinese participation but can also result in the victimization of the newcomers.


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